Does the American Dream really exist? For many, the American Dream is not a reality because they are not willing to take the steps to get there, hard work and determination. In Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman strives for the American Dream but does not do the work required to achieve it. Loman is a struggling traveling salesman who has lived his whole life in debt. He desperately wants to be well-liked and financially successful, but he gets in his own way often putting his family in danger in the process. Instead, he gets money from other people and lives in a false reality filled with lies. Ultimately, Willy plans and executes his suicide in order to receive the money for debts. Throughout Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman misinterprets the American Dream and lets his pride get in the way of his sense of reality. Willy misinterprets the American Dream by focusing on his reputation and his financial status. The American Dream also involves determination and honesty along with wealth and prosperity. Rather than making money the right way, Willy takes money from Charley regularly, even though Charley continues to offer him a better job instead. At the beginning of the play, Charley says, …show more content…
For example, when Linda asks Willy about his car, he says, “Chevrolet, Linda, is the greatest car ever built” (34). Later, when Linda brings up expenses, Willy changes his opinion on the car and says, “I’m not going to pay that man! That goddam Chevrolet, they ought to prohibit the manufacture of that car!” (36). Initially, he has a positive opinion of the car because of it makes him feel closer to the American Dream. When his wife points out how paying for the car will add to their expenses, he becomes irrationally angry at the car company because he is too proud to own up to or try to improve his financial